BPA From Plastics, Food Packaging, Linked To Obesity

Americans may be growing fat not only from the foods we eat, but from the hormone-disrupting materials in which those foods are given to us. Via the Smithsonian:

Since the 1960s, manufacturers have widely used the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) in plastics and food packaging. A study by researchers from New York University, published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at a sample of nearly 3,000 children and teens across the country and found a “significant” link between the amount of BPA in their urine and the prevalence of obesity.

The researchers speculate on a possible underlying mechanism, alluding to other studies that have shown that the chemical may disrupt mechanisms of human metabolism in ways that increase body mass. They also note studies that have revealed associations between urinary levels of BPA and incidences of adult diabetes, cardiovascular disease and abnormal liver function.

The vast majority of BPA in our bodies comes from ingestion of contaminated food and water. The compound is often used as an internal barrier in food packaging. When heated or washed, plastics containing BPA can break down and release the chemical into the food or liquid they hold. As a result, roughly 93 percent of the U.S. population has detectable levels of BPA in their urine.

I’m not squeamish as a general rule but that plastic shit can’t be good for you.

tribecca

did they consider that even though the kids had high levels of bpa, the obesity was due to what foods they were eating as packaged and processed foods that would lead to high levels of bpa are often also very unhealthy.

kowalityjesus

that is a good point, and generally they do allow for those kinds of variables. I read a study on the connection between mental disorders and homosexuals. Undoubtedly this is riddled with variables but they have summed the idea up well.

The current study was done in an effort to find out what mechanisms
(e.g. “minority stress,” environmental factors, and/or genetic factors)
might likely elevate the psychiatric vulnerability of nonheterosexuals.
In conducting their literature review, some support was found for a
“minority stress” hypothesis, however such support was weakened by the
fact that the relationship between sexual orientation and mental health
is strong even in socially liberal countries, such as the Netherlands.

kowalityjesus

that is a good point, and generally they do allow for those kinds of variables. I read a study on the connection between mental disorders and homosexuals. Undoubtedly this is riddled with variables but they have summed the idea up well.

The current study was done in an effort to find out what mechanisms
(e.g. “minority stress,” environmental factors, and/or genetic factors)
might likely elevate the psychiatric vulnerability of nonheterosexuals.
In conducting their literature review, some support was found for a
“minority stress” hypothesis, however such support was weakened by the
fact that the relationship between sexual orientation and mental health
is strong even in socially liberal countries, such as the Netherlands.

http://buzzcoastin.posterous.com BuzzCoastin

eye love the food-chain circle system of modernity
growth by eating unhealthy fake foods with chemicals
healthy enough with constant maintenance from Big Preventative Medicine
finally retiring into major medical care from Big Cya to the Grave while milking you dry
American’s have become hosts to economic parasites